- Any application using spectroscopic X-ray imaging techniques such as:
- X-ray fluorescence imaging (XRF)
- X-ray diffraction imaging (XRD)
- Combined XRF + XRD
- Time-Resolved Hyperspectral Computed Tomography (5D-CT)
- Compton Imaging
- Materials science applications at photon light sources
- Medical, including gamma-decay imaging from theragnostic treatments or measuring multiple SPECT tracers simultaneously, and proton beam therapy monitoring
- Non-destructive testing (NDT) in industries such as aerospace, manufacturing and construction
- Security scanning in airports
- Recycling material sorting and classification
- Geology and mining, such as elemental analysis of samples
Case Studies
Materials science
A HEXITEC detector was used on the B16 Test beamline at Diamond Light Source to test the feasibility of a new synchrotron-based technique for elemental imaging, combining radiography and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. HEXITEC was successfully used to study the spatial distribution of Ag, Zr and Mo in an Al alloy during heating, melting and re-solidification. This demonstrated this technique has potential to be useful for metallurgical and materials science applications where the dynamics of elemental re-distribution and segregation in complex alloys is important.
Paper: Mapping of multi-elements during melting and solidification using synchrotron X-rays and pixel-based spectroscopy
Non-destructive testing
A commercially available pixelated CdTe HEXITEC detector was tested as an X-ray diffraction computed tomography (XRDCT) system, a technique often used in non-destructive testing, such as the identification of crystalline materials and analysis of biological tissue. HEXITEC was used to develop the technique of pixelated X-ray diffraction, known as PixD, which utilises a large-area energy-dispersive detector with a broad X-ray source spectrum to significantly reduce acquisition times compared to conventional approaches. PixD showed potential as a viable method for material analysis in applications like security screening, clinical pathology and industrial quality control, especially as it does not require synchrotron facilities to work.
Paper: Hybrid energy and angle dispersive X-ray diffraction computed tomography
Medical Imaging
A small-pixel CdTe HEXITEC detector was evaluated for dual-tracer SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) imaging of a brain phantom containing Tc-99m and I-123. This technique can image several pathways and receptors in the brain simultaneously to shorten patient pathways in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, however the spectral resolution of conventional gamma cameras is poor. Compared to these conventional gamma cameras, the HEXITEC detector improved scatter rejection and greatly reduced crosstalk between energy windows. It was also able to resolve low-energy fluorescence X-rays from the source which could be incorporated into SPECT reconstruction algorithms.
Paper: Evaluation of a new small-pixel CdTe spectroscopic detector in dual-tracer SPECT brain imaging
